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Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Usually
when all of the starters at a particular position from the previous year return
it makes for a fairly boring training. That is certainly not the case with the
Riders’ secondary this year. The starting 5 from last year (Graham, McKenzie, Butler, Frazier, Jackson)
are all back but the end result of camp could be anything from all 5 staying
the same to a completely new secondary and anything in between.

Adding
to the intrigue will be how much of a difference the influence of Coach
Chamblain will make. Richie Hall is back for the 400th season as our
D coordinator but his boss has a very different defensive philosophy. Richie is
the ultimate zone/bend but don’t break mentality vs. Chamblain’s heavy-man
/high risk D from the Chris Jones school of thought. I imagine we will end up
with a hybrid of the systems.

Projected
Starters: Despite the fact that all 5 starters from last
year are back it’s actually tough to say. Chamblain has stated Patrick will be
at safety and is the only guy whose spot is safe. Butler will see time there as well in certain
packages. Frazier and McKenzie are likely safe at HB.Graham and Jackson should have the inside
track on the CB spots but there will be some great competition there.

Thoughts:
So much of who our starters will be will depend on what defensive philosophy we
go with in the secondary. Chamblain likes big tall in our face guys on the
corner (like he had in Calgary)
to man up and play bump and run. Hall is more of a zone bend but don’t break
guy which direction we go could very much affect who we play at corner. Where
Hall might be fine with smaller guys on the corner (such as Tristan Jackason),
Chamblain may not be. He may prefer a bigger guy like Macho Harris… which I
hope he does. I would love to be able to cheer for both a Macho and Boo.

Based on the differing defensive views between Hall
and Chamblain, I think versatility will be a requisite of DB wanting to make
this team. That is why Patrick is safe. He can float in the middle as a
ballhawking safety when needed and man up (as I assume Chamblain will want to
see more of). Other DBs will need similar versatility.

There will likely be room for 7 DBs (5 starters and
2 back-ups) on the game-day roster. Patrick, Frazier and Butler are virtual locks. I would guess that
Woldu will get one of the back-up spots. That leaves 3 spots for the other 10
to fight for. That said I expect 1 new guy at most to crack the starting
roster.

Prophet’s
Player To Watch: Macho Harris

Outlook: If Hall and Chamblain can strike a balance between their styles and find just
the right mixture of both to keep QBs guessing, this group should do well.

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

This
year the hoggies will be putting the offensive in offensive line thanks to the
new tramp stamps that will be adorning their ample lower backs… poor Durant.

For
the first time in a long time I will not be able to make senior citizen jokes
about our O-line. Future Hall of Famer Gene Makoswky retired and old man Alex
Gauthier was released (much rejoicing ensued). Also Marc Parenteau who played
centre was released. Well technically he played “guy who lines up in the middle”
because “centre” actually implies an ability to snap.

Change
was needed in the trenches. Historically a solid O-line has been a staple of
this team (even when it’s all we had). But last season the Riders gave up the 3rd
most sacks and had the 2nd worst run game. While other factors play
into these stats, the poor play of our O-line was a significant contributing
factor. They certainly weren’t good.

The
prospect of replacing 60% of our O-line was made a whole lot less scary when
Dominic Picard and Brendan Labatte were signed during free agency. Also the
hiring of Kris Sweet as OL coach went a long way to reassuring me. He is one of
the best OL coaches in the CFL and has consistently gotten quality results out
of his line regardless of what players he is forced into playing.

Projected Starters:
It’s not even projected so much as pretty much set in stone baring injury.
Fulton/Labatte/Picard/Best/Goodspeed

Thoughts:
The interior of our line looks rock solid. Labatte is one of the premier young
OL in the league. Picard is an actual centre (which will be a welcome upgrade).
He also brings a lot of nasty to the role which has been lacking in recent
years. Best has been improving by leaps and bounds over the last couple season
(which he should be since we invested close to a decade worth of development in
the guy). I’m not worried about our inside guys.

Can’t say the same about our tackles. I have made
no attempt to conceal my hatred for Dan Goodspeed. I even started a petition to
try and force him to legally change his name since he is neither good nor
speedy. It’s not even like Dan Badslow is that bad of name! I think his best
years are behind him (like as far behind him as he let’s opposing DE’s get).
But looks like we are stuck with him.

On the other side we have a complete unknown in Xavier
Fulton. We got him from Edmonton
for a conditional 6th rounder so that makes me wary of his
potential. But that said, we got Jermese Jones from Winnipeg for a 5th rounder in 2007
and he played adequately enough to get us to the Cup. He was by no means outstanding
but it was good enough. And that’s what I’m expecting from Fulton. Besides it will be nice to get a
token black guy back on the line. We haven’t had one since 2009

The
battle for back-ups will likely be more interesting than for the starters. We
only have room for 2 or 3 back-up OL on the 46 man roster and will likely stash
another 1 on the 9-game (err… I mean I predict that some mysterious but legitimate injury will befall one of
them). That means that 1 or 2 of Neufeld, Hutchins, Krausnick-Groh, Heenan and Clark will not survive camp. Heenan is likely safe given
that we just drafted him and Groh longsnaps so he should be good too. That
leaves Hutchins, Clark and Neufeld in a battle. For Hutchins and Clark in
particular it’s put up or shut up time since they have been here since 2009 and
yet to make an impact.

Then
again maybe they are just on the Chris Best 7 year plan.

Prophet’s
Player To Watch: Nerraw McCormack… not for any particular reason
than I’m still holding out hope that we find an import better than Badslow.

Outlook:
Younger O-Line + Kris Sweet = Extremely Exciting! … well at least as excited as
you can get about a bunch of sweaty fat guys.

Monday, May 28, 2012

Clearly
upgrading at receiver has been one of Taman’s
main focuses this offseason. He has brought in at least 7 new guys into camp to
compete. Honestly I would love to get excited about this year’s crop but
history has made me very skeptical. Need I remind you that recent receiving
recruits have included Terrence Nunn, Prechae Rodriguez, James Robinson and
Jordan Sisco.I’m not saying we’re
doomed but I will remain skeptical until I see something to change my mind.

This
year’s cast of hopeful’s include (in not particular order): two former 2nd
round NFL picks, two former 7th round NFL picks, someone who is
actually shorter than Dressler (its nice to know the Riders are committed to
competition at every position even the token midget one), six guys with NFL
experience, a retarded rabbit and a guy coming back from a major knee injury.
It’s quite the mish mash of people.

Projected
Starters: Obviously Dressler, Getzlaf and Bagg are locks.
Outside of that there are no guarantees… though you’d have top think that based
on experience Hill and Baker have an early lead in the race. That said I don’t
think either have any shred of job security if they don’t step up in camp… Hill
in particular.

Thoughts:
Dressler and Getzlaf have consistently proven themselves as quality producers.
That said history has shown us that for both to be successful we need a
tangible #2 receiving option to a) take pressure of Dressler and b) keep
Getzlaf lined up as a #3 receiver where he is most effective.

Rob Bagg could be that guy (and here comes the
perennial caveat) if healthy. In
terms of talent and potential I think Bagg is legitimately only slightly behind
Andy Fantuz. Go back and watch the games from 2009 where Bagg was moved to slot
to cover Fantuz during injury. Bagg played outstanding.

Getzlaf and Bagg may be the 2 most underrated
Canadian receivers in the CFL. Bagg for the reasons stated above and Getzlaf
for the following 2 reasons:

1) Only 3 receivers in the CFL have more TDs than
Getzlaf over the past 3 seasons (Jamel Richardson, Arland Bruce and Terrence Edwards).

2) No Canadian receiver has more yards than him over the past 3 seasons.

Believe me, I like to rag on Getzlaf for his ridiculously inconsistent hands as
much as the next guy but you can’t question his production.

My concern is not with our Canadian starters but
rather with who is backing them up. Sadly at this point either Sisco or McHenry
are guaranteed a game day roster spot by virtue of being Canadian. McHenry is a
decent special teamer with minimal potential as a receiver and Sisco is a
steaming pile of crap plain and simple. I am praying that Bamba has a change of
heart or Raic/Riva turn out to be outstanding. There just has to be something
better.

As for the competition among the imports, I think
we are really looking to go big at wide-out. Guys like Baker, Jarrett and
Harper will be in the mix and at least one of them will be making the team. Speedters
like Moss and Cherry also have a shot at a spot if they can pick up on the
waggle and use it to their advantage.

Friday, May 25, 2012

We
are heading into the 4th straight season with the same unquestioned starting
QB… the last time a QB lasted that long here was back in the Kent Austin days.
I suppose technically Nealon Greene lasted 4 season here but I don’t really
count that since he missed all but the 1st quarter of 2004, was
benched halfway through 2005… plus given his off the charts rating on the scale
of sucktitude you can’t really consider him “unquestioned”

Projected
Starter: Obviously Durant starts and based on comments
coming out of the offseason training camps it would seem that Brown and Wily
have the early lead in the race for the back-up roles.

Thoughts:
I realize that even at his best (circa ’09 and ’10) Durant gives people lots of
reason to doubt him (he’s a turnover machine and prone to inconsistency)but dammit the guy wins games!!! At least he
does when he has a competent offensive game plan behind him, a centre who can
actually place the snaps within a 20 foot radius of his hands and receivers who
have the mental capacity to run the routes they are asked to.

I think Durant is in for bounce back year... this
of course assumes that Bob Dyce can devise a decent offensive attack. I’m by no
means sold on Dyce given that he was our receivers coach last year and our
receivers were for the most part garbage. But given what an utter gong show
everything was last year I’m willing to give Dyce the benefit of the doubt and
let him prove himself this year. Durant has an upgraded O-line, should have a
better run game to take the pressure of him, and hopefully better receivers
(lord help us if Taman manages to find anyone
worse than Nunn and Robinson). He also won’t have the creepy eyes of Ryan
Dinwiddie trying to steal his soul from the sidelines… so that’s a plus.

As for the back-up job. While I hope that none of
our back-ups are called into duty, I am excited to see what this brand new cast
of hopefuls can bring to the table. Will they be the next Durant/Tate or will
they be the next Chad Freifhauf/Kent Smith/Todd Reesing.

Realistically we need just one of these guys to
turn into a viable player… and an additional one to show a knack for clipboard
holding. And I like those odds. That said I’m going to go ahead and
preemptively scratch O’Sullivan off the list, I consider him a waste of a
training camp spot and am not sure we are even bothering with him.

I also predict Colt Brennan’s career as a Rider
will be short-lived. This is on nothing more than gut instinct and the fact
that it seems the more hype there is surrounding a QB prospect, the less likely
they are to accomplish anything in the CFL.

Prophet’s
Player To Watch: Levi Brown

Outlook:
Barring injury things are looking pretty good. We have a stable staring QB with
an upgraded supporting cast and some exciting young prospects (minus
O’Sullivan) to start building for the future. Only concern is that we are one
injury away from one of these newbies who have never taken a snap in Canadian
football being forced into leading our offense.

Scary as it is, after Durant, Weston Dressler is
the team’s next most experienced passer.

Thursday, May 24, 2012

If there is one area
of the Riders that has been a persistent concern year after year its the
D-Line. Since 2008 only the Argos have managed less sacks than the Riders.
Quite frankly if you’re looking for sacks you have a better chance of finding them
in a group of eunuchs and lesbians than along the Riders D-line.

So as we seem to do every year,
we head into 2012 looking to upgrade our pass rush.

Projected Starter: Shologan and Willis are locks. With George and Hawkins as the likely
guys to beat for the other 2 spots.

Thoughts: Outside of
Shologan this whole group is a pile of question marks. The prospect of Willis
and Hawkins off the edge is pretty exciting but that all depends on IF Hawkins’
shoulders can stay healthy (which given their current pace is about akin to
hoping demonstrations in Montreal stay
peaceful) and IF Odell Willis can get across the border (which seems like a
fairly safe bet at that this point... provided he takes the bus) and IF we get the Odell Willis who is
useful (as opposed to the one that was so useless in the second half of last season
that you would have thought he was already on the Riders). That’s too many Ifs to
be confident at this point.

And I don’t think Hawkins is a
lock even if he’s healthy. Rowe looked okay last year in his brief time but it
was hard to tell if he was actually good or just better than the other crap we
got used to seeing. Guess we will see some training camp. And I’m excited to
see what the new guys (Ellis in particular) can bring).

As for the other tackle spot, I’m
personally pulling for Booooooo Robinson but that is based purely on name. He
will have to beat George the vet and fellow new comer Williams. I’m hoping one
of the new guys will win it out. Not because I have anything against George, I
just think he would be most effective on the edge or as a depth/rotation guy.
He didn’t seem to play his best inside (and he was one of our best DL last
year... which isn’t high praise I know but still). I do wish we had a bit more competition
at DT.

Prophet’s Player To Watch: Chris Ellis

Outlook: Much
like our running game, we are starting pretty much at the bottom of the barrel so
there is nowhere to go but up. If we get good Willis that will go a long way
towards turning things around. Guess its time to see whether Taman's big gamble paid off.